I am pleased to share that our paper, “Digital visibility, physical obscurity: Uncovering the location strategies of ghost kitchens in platform urbanism”, has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.

In this study, we analyze the spatial patterns and location logics of ghost kitchens in Shenzhen by integrating multi-source platform data and urban metrics. The findings show how platform-mediated food services can trade storefront visibility for delivery efficiency, and offer planning and governance implications for consumer protection, food safety, and public health.

This work is a collaborative effort with Yihong Tang, Yaxin Liu, and Prof. Tianren Yang. I sincerely thank my co-authors, the editor Prof. Soora Rasouli, and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and support.

• Accepted: 2026-02-03